Connector for a lamp holder of a lamp starter holder

ABSTRACT

A connector for assembling a lamp holder or lamp starter holder to a plate which comprises two holding lugs in which projections at the corners of the holder engage. The holder can be connected to and be detached from the plate by a rotary movement, the axis of rotation being near one of the projections.

United States Patent [191 Van Tiel et al.

[ Feb. 25, 1975 CONNECTOR FOR A LAMP HOLDER OF A LAMP STARTER HOLDER Inventors: Cornelius Hendrikus Josephus Van Tiel; Gerhardus J ohannus Berns, both of Emmasingel, Eindhoven, Netherlands U.S. Philips Corporation, New York, N.Y.

Filed: Sept. 26, 1973 Appl. No.: 401,125

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 11, I972 Netherlands 7213713 U.S. Cl. 248/27, 339/125 L Int. Cl. Gl2b 9/00 Field of Search 248/27; 339/51, 52 R, 56, 339/75 T, 119 L, 124 L, 125 L; 403/245, 348, 350; 240/5l.ll B

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,328,577 6/l967 Pistey et al 240/5l.ll R

Primary Examiner-.lames C. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FirmFrank R. Trifari [57] ABSTRACT A connector for assembling a lamp holder or lamp starter holder to a plate which comprises two holding lugs in which projections at the corners of the holder engage. The holder can be connected to and be detached from the plate by a rotary movement, the axis of rotation being near one of the projections.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEB FEB2 51975 1 CONNECTOR FOR A LAMP HOLDER OF A LAMP STARTER HOLDER The invention relates to connection of a holder for a lamp or lamp starter to a plate by holding lugs which are forced through from the material of the plate and which are designed to engage projections in the assembled condition of the holder. The projections are on oppositely located parts of the bottom portion of the holder which preferably is mainly rectangular. The plate further comprises a resilient lug which is formed from the material of the plate by means of a forcethrough operation, said lug locking the holder in the assembled condition. Such a connector is known.

The known connector requires three holder lugs which in the assembled condition of the holder each engage around a projection occurring on a side wall of the bottom portion of the holder. The holder may be connected to the plate by sliding the holder between 7 two of the holding lugs in the direction of the third holding lug. Each holding lug is formed from the plate by cutting three of the four sides of a rectangular plate part from the material of the plate and bending the resulting cut part of the plate several times.

The drawback of this known connector is that the design of the holding lugs makes it possible for the cut sides to be bent out of the plane of the plate with a comparatively small force. The danger of bending is in creased because the holder is connected by means of a sliding movement. All this may result in the holder easily working loose.

It is the object of the invention to provide a connector which does not exhibit the said drawback.

For that purpose, the connector according to the invention has projections at opposite corners of the bottom portion of the holder. The holder can be assembled to the plate by means ofa rotary movement and can be detached from the plate by means of a rotary movement in the opposite direction, the axis of rotation during said rotary movements being near one of the projections.

By connecting the holder to the plate by a rotary movement, the possibility of bending the holding lugs is very small.

In a preferred embodiment of the connector according to the invention the holding lugs have a spherical shape, the line along which the holding lugs are cut from the plate having a slightly curved shape.

This design of the holding lugs is possible due to arrangement of the holding lugs such that the holder can be connected by means of a rotary movement. The spherically curved holding lugs are considerably stronger than the known holding lugs.

In a further embodiment of the connector according to the invention the resilient lug supports with one of its sides against the outer circumference of the bottom portion of the holder. Such a resilient lug is known per se, but in the known connector the lug supports against the edge of a recess provided within the circumference of the bottom portion in the part engaging the plate. To enable disassembly of the holder, the holder is therefore provided with an aperture which opens into the area of the resilient lug. For example, by means of a screwdriver pushed through the operture the resilient lug may be bent so that the edge of the recess can he slid over the lug. With such an arrangement of the lug that the latter is against the outer circumference of the bottom portion of the holder, an extra aperture in the holder is of course superfluous.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to a drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a front view of a connector attaching a holder for a lamp starter to a plate according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the holder taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a front view of a connector attaching a holder for a lamp to a plate according to'the invention and FIG. 4 is a side view taken on the line lV-lV of FIG. 3.

The connection of the starter holder 1 to the plate 2 shown in FIG. 1 is carried out by means of two projections 3 and 4 occurring on two diametrically oppositely located corners 5 and 6, respectively, of the holder 1, which projections engage in two holding lugs 7 and 8, respectively, which are formed from the material of the plate 2 by a forcethrough operation. The lines along which the holding lugs are cut from the plate material are denoted by 9 and I0. Said lines are only slightly curved.

The starter holder may be assembled to the plate by placing the projection 3 in the spherical cavity of the holding lug 7. The holder assumes the position 11 shown in broken lines. The holder is then turned to the right in the direction of the arrow P so that the projection 4 engages the holding lug 8. During said rotary movement, the bottom 12 of the holder 1 (see also FIG. 2) slides over the resilient lug 13 which is forced through from the material and is slightly bent from the plane of the plate. The edge 14 of the lug l3 locks the holder in the assembled condition. For detaching the holder the resilient lug should be bent back in the plane of the plate.

A second resilient lug 24 is furthermore provided in the plate by means of a force-through operation. Said resilient lug forces the holder in the direction remote from the plate against the holding lugs 7 and 8 and thus prevents any possible clearance between the projections and the holding lugs from causing rattling of the connection.

The connection shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is essentially the same as that described above. Instead of a starter holder, however, a lamp holder 15 is assembled to the plate which is denoted by 16. The lamp 17 is shown in broken lines in FIG. 4. The bottom portion 18 of the lamp holder 15 comprises twomoulded projections 19 and 20 which cooperate with holding lugs 21 and 22 forced through from the material of the plate 16. The resilient lug 23 prevents the holder from working loose. In this connection also the holding lugs have a spherical shape.

It has proved possible to perform the punching movement in which the holding lugs and the resilient lug are formed so accurately that the connection is very secure and remains very reliable even after repeated detaching and reassembly of the holder.

What is claimed is:

l. A connector for a holder for a lamp or lamp starter comprising a plate having a resilient lug and only two holding lugs formed integrally from. the plate by a force-through operation, each holding lug so arranged as to engage a respective projection on said holder when said holder is assembled to the plate, wherein said 3 holding lugs are first and second holding lugs so disposed that said holder can be assembled to the plate only by inserting one projection under the first holding lug and then rotating said holder to an assembled position so as to insert another projection under the second holding lug, said resilient lug being so located as to be biased to a depressed position by said holder while a projection has been inserted only under the first holding lug and said resilient lug being in a locking position when said holder is in said assembled position, said holder being detachable by forcing said resilient lug'to 4' its depressed position, rotating said holder about said first holding lug in a reverse direction, and then removing the respective projection from under said first lug.

holder against movement from the assembled position. =l 

1. A connector for a holder for a lamp or lamp starter comprising a plate having a resilient lug and only two holding lugs formed integrally from the plate by a force-through operation, each holding lug so arranged as to engage a respective projection on said holder when said holder is assembled to the plate, wherein said holding lugs are first and second holding lugs so disposed that said holder can be assembled to the plate only by inserting one projection under the first holding lug and then rotating said holder to an assembled position so as to insert another projection under the second holding lug, said resilient lug being so located as to be biased to a depressed position by said holder while a projection has been inserted only under the first holding lug and said resilient lug being in a locking position when said holder is in said assembled positiOn, said holder being detachable by forcing said resilient lug to its depressed position, rotating said holder about said first holding lug in a reverse direction, and then removing the respective projection from under said first lug.
 2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said holding lugs are spherically shaped, a line along which said lugs are cut from the plate being curved.
 3. A connecter as claimed in claim 2, wherein in the locking position a side of the resilient lug supports an outer circumference of the bottom portion of the holder against movement from the assembled position. 